Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.2 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the April advance was influenced by higher prices for shelter, new and used vehicles, and apparel. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 2.1 percent. Over-the-year increases have slowed for seven consecutive months since a 3.5-percent increase was recorded in September 2011. (See chart 1.) Energy prices advanced 1.6 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent since April 2011.

Food

Food prices crept up 0.2 percent for the month of April. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home were unchanged, while prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 2.5 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 1.9 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 3.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index edged down 0.2 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for natural gas service (-1.5 percent). Prices for electricity inched up 0.2 percent, while prices for gasoline were virtually unchanged in April.

Energy prices advanced 1.6 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (3.4 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 0.3 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 8.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in April. Higher prices for categories such as used cars and trucks (1.7 percent), apparel (1.2 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for alcoholic beverages (-0.3 percent) and medical care commodities (-0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included apparel (4.4 percent), medical care (2.9 percent), and shelter (2.3 percent).

Table A. West Urban CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2007		2008		2009		2010		2011		2012
	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
January	0.8	3.0	0.5	3.8	0.6	0.1	0.3	1.9	0.5	1.4	0.4	2.6
February	0.6	3.1	0.3	3.5	0.5	0.3	0.1	1.4	0.6	1.9	0.4	2.5
March	0.9	3.4	1.0	3.7	0.1	-0.5	0.3	1.6	0.9	2.6	0.9	2.4
April	0.6	3.3	0.4	3.5	0.3	-0.7	0.2	1.5	0.6	3.0	0.2	2.1
May	0.5	3.0	0.7	3.7	0.3	-1.1	0.1	1.3	0.3	3.2
June	-0.2	3.0	0.9	4.9	0.6	-1.4	-0.1	0.6	-0.2	3.1
July	-0.1	2.8	0.4	5.3	-0.2	-2.0	0.1	0.8	-0.1	2.9
August	-0.1	2.4	-0.5	4.9	0.2	-1.3	0.1	0.7	0.2	3.0
September	0.2	2.5	-0.3	4.3	0.2	-0.8	-0.1	0.5	0.4	3.5
October	0.5	3.3	-0.5	3.3	0.1	-0.3	0.1	0.6	0.0	3.4
November	0.5	4.2	-1.8	1.0	-0.3	1.2	0.0	0.9	-0.2	3.2
December	-0.1	4.1	-1.1	0.0	-0.2	2.2	0.2	1.3	-0.3	2.7

CPI-W

In April, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 227.686, up 0.2 percent from March. The CPI-W increased 2.0 percent over the year.

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The May 2012 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2012.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 retail establishments--department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch17_a.htm.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The West Region covered in this release is comprised of the following thirteen states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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